Hi. I have been writing a novel for quite some time and every time I feel the first draft is ready, I rewrite and edit some more. At the rate I'm going I don't know if it will be done. How many times to you rewrite? When do you stop editing?
Hi. I have been writing a novel for quite some time and every time I feel the first draft is ready, I rewrite and edit some more. At the rate I'm going I don't know if it will be done. How many times to you rewrite? When do you stop editing?
I tend to save my first draft when it is really a first draft (complete with plot holes and typos) then leave it for a while.
Then I copy the file and rename it 2nd draft (i.e. it's a new document) before I start reading it through. I spot the plot holes and make a note of them, so that my 2nd draft is all about the story making sense.
The first draft is all still there in case I need to change my mind about the plot again and again. (All drafts saved on memory sticks in case the computer crashes.)
3rd draft is for improving the language, not exclusively correcting the spelling and grammar. That's the hardest part to know whether you're 'done' or not.
My art teacher told me at school that what separates great artists from the crowd is that they know when to stop adding more paint. Unfortunately he never did pass on how exactly they did that.
It must partly be from feedback of others, though.
If you're at the stage where you're asking this question, then you've probably got to the stage where your rewrites are making it different rather than better.
Time to find some beta readers!